Set one box off with eggs in 2 frames. Wait 10 days and get one frame with cells and set the second box off. 10 days after that, you will have 3 queen right hives.

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Let them raise cells in one while the other stays on the mother hive. Gives you a stronger split when you transfer the cells to the second box.

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"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

Just the height JP. Because of the cane toad problem here the hives need to be kept well off the ground. 3 deep brood boxes on top of the hive stand is just manageable, anymore on that would be difficult.

I have cinder blocks standing on end with timber sleepers on top of these with the hive bottom cleats sitting on the sleepers. 3 deeps comes to just under my chest so 2 more honey supers on this would be over my head :?

Once it gets dark it would nothing to see 20-30 toads siting in front of the hives. Given half a chance they somehow jump up and get their foot into the entrance and then just sit there picking bee by bee from within the entrance.

I'm going to setup a new bee stand over the weekend for my growing collection of hives. This time I am going to have the cinder blocks on their sides to keep the hives lower. I'm going to try using a plastic barrier/fence around the hive stand to stop the toads getting in. I don't know this will work, but worth trying.

You said the hive was deeps. Whatever they are, set one of them on a new bottom board.

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"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"